Changes to ecosystems
ecosystemThe living organisms in a particular area, together with the non-living components of the environment. are very sensitive to change. The living and non-living components of the ecosystem can be altered by either natural factors or human management.
Changes to the ecosystem caused by natural factors include:
- drought
- flood
- fire
- disease
Changes to the ecosystem caused by human management include:
- introducing more fish (fish stocking)
- altering the drainage of the land which may influence the amount of water
- changing the pH levelThe acidity level of something. A low pH level shows acidity and a high pH level shows alkalinity. of the water
- altering the nutrient levels of the water if fertilisers are leachedWhen nutrients are washed out of the soil by heavy rainfall. into the water resulting in eutrophication'Hyper-nutrition' resulting from fertiliser pollution of aquatic ecosystems.
Any of these changes can have a negative impact on the ecosystem and could result in the collapse of a food chainA sequence (usually shown as a diagram) of feeding relationships between organisms, showing which organisms eat what and the movement of energy through trophic levels..